11 Excellent Books From 2024 That You May Have Missed

This year has been awash with excellent books, but there's always a few that slip through the gaps. So here's 11 2024 releases for you to add to your Christmas list (or just buy, because who wants to wait, right?).

1. Daughters of Shandong by Eve J Chung

Genre: Historical Fiction

This is the powerful, hopeful story about the resilience of women in war, inspired by the real life of Eve's grandmother. This extraordinary story follows the mother and daughters' escape from the Communist army during the civil war in 1948 China. With the rest of the family abandoning the women, the mother having already been punished for not producing a male heir, the women must endure the punishment of the Communist cadres. We then follow their plan to escape and make the thousand-mile journey to confront the family who abandoned them.

Price: £15.84

2. Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler

Genre: Satire, Comedy

This ironic, satirical, deadpan novel is all about the Millennial experience. The story follows Moddie, who has moved back to her university town after ten years of living in the city. We follow her return as she meets old friends and gets used to home she once knew. While not exactly being uplifting, the different complex characters and the direct, frank writing style make for a hilarious, if not a bit on-the-nose read.

Price: £12.54

3. Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley

Genre: Coming-of-age

Stuck in a work rut and in a bit of a general slump, Flo's life is turned around after she finds a book on the Tokyo subway, discarded by another passenger. The young translator is immediately transfixed by the novel, and decides to translate it herself, a decision that would change her life forever. We follow the story in the book and Flo's story outside of it, as she must track down this illusive author. Four Seasons in Japan is about belonging and literature, all wrapped up in a love letter to Japan.  

Price: £8.49

4. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Genre: Memoir, Autobiography

This is the memoir of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie, who, for the first time, recounts in depth the attempted murder he was victim to when giving a lecture back in 2022. He goes into detail about the event itself, and the process of physical and mental recovery with unflinching honesty.

Price: £16.16

5. Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán

Genre: Thriller

This book starts with a fact: a girl has died. Speaking to us from inside a locked room, Estela shares her story. Working as a maid for a wealthy family, we learn about the growing hardships of her daily life as we begin to think that maybe she would become capable of doing something horrific, but could she? 

Price: £12.56

6. The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson

Genre: Nonfiction, Crime, American History, Social Justice 

This book combines serious journalism and reporting alongside nuanced writing to look in depth at the brutal murder of Emmett Till. The book dives into the how and the why, focusing on the state of Mississippi itself and the role of property, money, power, and white supremacy. 

Price: £31.10

7. Ghostroots by ’Pemi Aguda

Genre: Short stories, anthology, horror 

This set of 12 short stories bring us a haunting reimagining of Lagos. Each unsettling story combines the familiar with the strange in a setting where everyday life is shrouded in threat and mystery.

Price: £15.97

8. Funny Story by Emily Henry

Genre: Romance, Comedy

This steamy romance novel follows Daphne, whose love story didn't quite work out the way she'd imagined. When her fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend, she does the only logical to do and move in with the childhood best friends' ex fiancé, Miles. It's full of wit and the writing will immerse you in this bizarre love quartet.

Price: £10.99

9. The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza

Genre: Fiction, Queer

This epic story begins in 1960s Mexico City as we follow the Luchadores family all the way to modern-day Los Angeles, discovering their familial struggles and the navigation of forbidden love and relationships. We hear the story of different members of the family from alternate perspectives, as they battle the various obstructions that come their way.

Price: £23.69

10. Brooklyn by Tracy Brown

Genre: Contemporary, Drama, Thriller

Brooklyn Melody James is a manipulative survivor, and she's doomed. The story we read is how she got there – the origins, the journey, and the frustrating decisions she has made to lead her to the justice that she faces. Brooklyn is a charmer, a hustler, the writer of her own rulebook, but there's only so long one can get away with such a lifestyle .Brooklyn will take you on a emotional ride, it will frustrate, keep you thinking, and most importantly, keek you reading.

Price: £11.99

11. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Genre: Thriller, Psychological 

This thrilling novel is full of twist and turns as we follow Evie Porter, a woman with a picture-perfect life. The only thing is that Evie Porter isn't a real person. When someone enters the town who may ruin her perfectly created lie, Evie must attempt to stay one step ahead as her past threatens to catch up with her.

Price: £14.19

What 2024 books would you recommend? Let us know in the comments below!